Draco the Hufflepuff
by Totchi
Summary: Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes has a prototype that Fred and George think will be a big hit - candies based off of the four Hogwarts Houses that promise to "Unleash your inner Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff!". Now, if only they could find some test subjects… WARNINGS: AU!Hogwarts, HPDM, OOCness that is completely justified...
1. Prologue - Bottoms Up!

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Author: **Totchi  
**Title: **Draco the Hufflepuff  
**Pairing: **HP/DM  
**Rating: **Mature  
**Summary: **Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes has a prototype that Fred and George think will be a big hit - candies based off of the four Hogwarts Houses that promise to "Unleash your inner Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff!". Now, if only they could find some test subjects…

**Author's Notes:** This was an idea that popped into my head after seeing some beautiful HP artwork on Deviantart. The original idea was completely different than this and had some rather bad plot holes inbetween because I just wanted to see one thing (Draco blushing and a subsequent evil!Harry) but as time went on, I finally fleshed out a plot that would make sense. I hope you enjoy, it'll be a fun ride. ;) Reviews are always welcomed!

**Draco the Hufflepuff**

(aka When Harry Finally Embraces His Inner Slytherin)

Prologue – Bottoms Up!

Draco found himself sneering at a couple of first-year Hufflepuffs that walked by the Slytherin table, annoyed by how loud they were when they entered the Great Hall for dinner. Honestly, what was wrong with them? Did they think that the entire hall wanted to hear about their trivial first-year issues? His irritation grew when the Hufflepuffs started talking louder about their emotions. How _disgusting_.

"You look like a little ray of sunshine," came a voice to Draco's left as Blaise Zabini slid into a seat. "What's got your pants in a twist?"

Draco sent a glare over to his friend, causing Blaise to roll his eyes.

"You've really been a joy to be around for the last few weeks," Blaise commented dryly, moving to pour pumpkin juice into his goblet. "Seriously, each time I see you, your expression looks more and more murderous."

When he didn't receive a response from his friend, he shrugged, giving up on that particular conversation. Handing Draco a goblet of pumpkin juice for himself, he sighed, glancing over at the other tables in the hall. He caught sight of a certain redhead witch and leaned forward, giving her a saucy wink. He was given a coy smile in return and satisfied, leaned back in his seat.

"Maybe you just need to get laid," he glanced over at Draco, giving him a smirk as the blond paused in picking up his goblet to drink. "I heard that does wonders in improving your mood."

"Hear hear to that! And we all know that Draco's mood needs to be better. How am I going to attract any suitors when there's this dark cloud hanging around me all the time?" Pansy slid into the seat on the other side of Draco, leaning in to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Honestly darling, I do believe Blaise has a point."

Draco sighed, giving both of his friends an exasperated look.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he set his goblet down, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I've been exactly the same as I have always been. Maybe the two of you are just becoming too sensitive."

Pansy and Blaise shared a look behind Draco that clearly said they didn't believe him, but the Great Hall during dinner was not the time or place to bring up Draco's deep-rooted issues… or whatever was causing him to act like a sulking child.

"We just worry about you, dear," Pansy replied airily, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Anyways… Less talk about him, more talk about me. Like who on earth am I going to find as a suitor here? I haven't seen any suitable wizards at Hogwarts since school started. I find it absolutely horrendous. Has the gene pool in wizards been declining or what? Where have all the attractive ones gone?"

"Probably hiding from you, of course," Blaise replied easily, helping himself to food. "Rumor has it, you're a man-eater. And I heard you can even drain away their magic too!"

Draco sat in silence as he listened to the banter of his friends, comforted in the familiarity of being there with them. He knew that he had been becoming rather difficult to be around because of his curtness and the attitude that he had been throwing their way, but there was just too much on his mind that he was having a hard time not taking his frustration out on everyone around him. Luckily, there were a lot of ignoramus and annoying students around that were deserving of his anger, but sometimes that just wasn't enough. He threw a baleful glance over at the other House tables, watching as everyone laughed loudly and showed their emotions so clearly on their faces. All those students looked ridiculous, so open with how they felt. Those type of people wouldn't get anywhere in life. In fact, they'd probably be the first to be taken advantage of if given the chance. They could all do with being a little bit more Slytherin in their ways.

He sighed softly, eyes falling on a trio of students directly across from the Slytherin table. He felt irritation in his stomach as he glared at the Golden Trio, who were chatting and laughing and looking all-together ridiculous. Those three, especially, could do with learning how to be better in-tuned with how they look on the outside. Especially Potter, the messy little git with terrible fashion sense and a lack of personal hygiene. Draco took a slow sip from his goblet, watching the three Gryffindors interact carefully. They looked so carefree, which didn't make any sense to him. He supposed that Gryffindors just needed to learn the hard way that they couldn't be so carefree and _happy_ all the time.

He paused for a moment, glancing down at his goblet. His brow furrowed as he leaned in to take a discreet sniff of the juice. Something didn't taste quite right with it. Maybe the stupid house elves gave the students old pumpkin juice. He turned to his friends, putting his cup down.

"Does the pumpkin juice taste weird to you?" he asked them, a small frown on his lips.

Pansy and Blaise paused in their conversation to look at him.

"No," Pansy took a delicate sip of her own before looking over at Blaise, who did the same. "It tastes like regular, low-quality Hogwarts pumpkin juice. Are you feeling ok, Draco? Maybe you're getting sick."

"Don't be ridiculous," Draco shook his head. "You know I never get sick. That's strange though, I could've sworn mine tastes odd."

oooOooo

Across the hall, an entirely different conversation was being held.

"Can you believe her? I find it completely barmy!" Ron said forcefully, shaking a fork in the air. "Of all people for her to want be with… Him! A Slytherin, no less!"

Harry nodded in agreement, taking a glance over to the Slytherin table. It made little sense to him as well. In fact, it was a little gross to him when he thought too much about it.

"I don't see how they even had the chance to run into each other," he admitted, backing up his best mate. "It's crazy."

"Oh stop it!" Hermione sighed aloud, dropping the book she was looking through on the table, taking a second to glare at her friends. "It's not a big deal! You keep making it sound like she's going out with a Death Eater!"

Ron bristled at this, looking heatedly at his friend.

"What do you mean, it's not a big deal? That's my baby sister!" he pointed in the direction of the Slytherin table. "And he could very well be a Death Eater!"

"It's Blaise Zabini," she sighed, going back to her book. "And your sister is quite old enough to figure out on her own the type of guys she would like to associate herself with."

"Yes dear brother of mine," Ginny fell into a seat beside her brother, throwing an arm around him. "I am perfectly old enough and capable enough to figure out who I want to _associate_ myself with. And if I ever decide to have him stick around long enough to have him meet mum and dad, you'll be more than welcome to judge him then."

Harry shook his head, staying clear of the conversation. He wasn't one to judge people based solely on their Houses, but really… A Slytherin? And one of the ones that hang out with none other than Draco Malfoy? He didn't want to throw quite a tantrum as Ron had, but he did care for Ginny like a sister and he definitely thought she could do better than that. He glanced over at the Slytherin table, right in his assumption that Zabini was sitting next to Malfoy and Parkinson. He watched them talk and had a faint curiosity about what they could be having a conversation about. Malfoy was making weird faces and staring down into his goblet. Maybe they were planning their next evil plot? Or figuring out how to terrorize other students? Harry leaned forward a little when he noticed Malfoy stand up abruptly, an expression of ill ease crossing his face.

"Hey guys, look at Malfoy," he pointed out quietly, nudging his friends as he watched the blond lean heavily on the table. "Something's going on."

"I wonder what," Ron eyed the Slytherin with distaste. "I hope someone poisoned him. He'd deserve it, the git."

Harry found his eyes widening when a screech alerted the majority of the Great Hall to the Slytherin table.

"Draco!" Pansy shrieked in horror, quickly standing up as the boy lost his tight grip on the table, eyes rolling into the back of his head. His body swayed and he slowly started falling backwards, narrowly missing injuring himself when a professor reacted quickly, shouting out a spell to slow his descent.

As students stood up and quickly make their way closer to the passed-out Slytherin, Harry turned to look at his friends. What just happened?

"Blimey," he heard Ron say beside him, looking with wide eyes. "I bet you someone did poison him!"

oooOooo

"Hey," a deep voice made the person standing in the hallway to turn around. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

The girl gave the newcomer a warm smile, leaning in to give a chaste kiss.

"It's no problem," she reassured him, leaning back against the wall. "So how did it go?"

"Just as planned," came the reply, a chuckle bubbling forth from his lips. "You are a rather brilliant planner, I must admit. Nobody suspected a thing. And when will you be doing your part of the plan?"

"Tomorrow," she smiled reassuringly at her companion. "Though, I don't know why you're so interested in seeing this part. I thought you'd be content with just messing with Slytherins."

"Of course not," he purred, leaning in to steal another kiss. "I think this whole thing will be very entertaining. I can't wait to see your whole plan unfold. You are a rather devious little thing."

She gave him a wicked smile.

"Of course I am," she replied airily. "I wouldn't be with someone like you if I weren't."


	2. Chapter 1 - Disguised Desserts

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Author: **Totchi  
**Title: **Draco the Hufflepuff  
**Pairing: **HP/DM  
**Rating: **Mature  
**Summary: **Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes has a prototype that Fred and George think will be a big hit - candies based off of the four Hogwarts Houses that promise to "Unleash your inner Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff!". Now, if only they could find some test subjects…

**Draco the Hufflepuff**

(aka When Harry Finally Embraces His Inner Slytherin)

Chapter 1 – Disguised Desserts

"George!"

"Yes, Freddie?"

"We've gotten an owl from Hogwarts."

"Oh, how exciting," George poked his head into the office to see his brother sitting at a desk, looking over a piece of parchment while he absentmindedly fed the delivery owl a treat. "And what news does the owl bring?"

"Good news, brother dearest," Fred looked up, smiling at his brother. "It seems that we've already gotten our first test subject!"

"Should we send him a letter of appreciation for volunteering his time?" George asked, a smirk gracing his lips as he made his way into the room, taking a look at the letter himself.

"I do believe that would be a grand idea," Fred agreed, nodding his head. "Though I think it'll be best for us to wait to send out appreciation letters once we've gotten all of our volunteers."

"Brilliant idea, Fred," George nodded, watching as the owl flew away through the opened window. "We'll just have to wait another day or two for news, I suppose."

oooOooo

Draco groaned, throwing an arm over his face to cover his eyes. He felt like he was just trampled upon by a horde of hippogriffs. His head was throbbing and everything felt a little bit too hot. He attempted to open his eyes, but quickly aborted that mission when he felt a stabbing pain sear through his eyes and straight to his brain.

"Merlin…" he grounded out, stifling a gasp of pain. "What in bloody-"

"Language, Mr. Malfoy," came the tsking voice of Madam Pomfrey. "This is not the worst I've ever seen of a student, so you don't need to sound like it is."

The tsking continued as the nurse made her way over to Draco, pulling his arm away from his face, despite the loud noise of pain he made.

"You've been here a few times, Mr. Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey said lightly, looking at him carefully as he refused to open his eyes. "And there were many times that you over exaggerated your injuries."

He resisted the urge to refute the claim, only a small part of him screaming at the injustice of being accused of faking an injury. Now was definitely not the time for that, and the pain was making him want to be brutally honest.

"It hurts so much," he replied, moving to use his other arm to cover his face again. "It's too bright."

Madam Pomfrey frowned down at her patient, carefully looking at him to assess any physical injuries she might've missed in her original assessment. She waved her wand to dim the lights to a bearable level for the boy and gently moved his arm away again.

"Could you try opening your eyes for me?" she asked gently, using her wand to perform some diagnostic spells.

Draco sighed softly, bracing himself before he slowly opened one eye. He winced as a headache assaulted his senses, but it was definitely better than the stabbing pain of earlier. Soon enough, he had both his eyes open, squinting up at the witch in the darkened room.

"What happened to me?" he asked before a sudden coughing fit had him turning on his side.

Madam Pomfrey tsked again, helping him sit up in bed as his coughing slowly subsided. Before she could reply, the doors to the hospital wing burst open and two Slytherins rushed in.

"How is he, Madam Pomfrey?" Pansy quickly rushed over, Blaise dragged behind her. "What happened to him? Did someone hurt him?"

"He has a fever," Madam Pomfrey frowned at the ruckus the two students caused rushing in, though she didn't reprimand them. "It seems he's just fallen ill, probably the flu. Nothing some rest and a Pepper Up Potion won't fix. Let me go get one for you, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco watched as she walked away before looking at his two friends tiredly.

"I thought you said you never get sick," Pansy accused, a deep frown on her face. "If you weren't feeling well, you should've said something, Draco. You made such a big spectacle of yourself in the Great Hall!"

Blaise rolled his eyes, moving to be closer to the bed.

"She means," he cut in, looking at the slightly shocked expression on the blond's face, "that we were terribly worried about you because you up and fainted in the hall… Like a damsel in distress."

He couldn't help but snicker at the last part, though it did nothing to soothe Draco's shocked nerves. He had embarrassed himself in front of all the students at Hogwarts in the Great Hall? He felt slightly nauseous and more than a little bit angry.

"I never get sick," he said adamantly, though he wasn't able to reassure his friends of the statement very well when another coughing fit shook his body. Pansy quickly moved over to help him as Blaise stepped away in disgust.

"Right," Blaise said, wrinkling his nose. "So that's why you're coughing up your lungs, huh? You're the picture of perfect health."

"Shut… up… Blaise!" Draco struggled past the coughing, throwing a glare at the other boy. He was in no mood to be arguing with anyone. He just wanted to lie down in his own bed up in the dormitory and sleep.

"Oh dear, you're coughing again?" Madam Pomfrey bustled over with a bottle, waiting until Draco had stopped coughing. "Here, dear. Take this, go on."

Draco let the nurse press the bottle against his lips, wincing as the warmth slid down his throat. After a few minutes, Draco started feeling a little bit better, though it wasn't as effective as he had hoped the Pepper Up would be. After checking his vitals once more, Madam Pomfrey made shooing motions to the group.

"You are more than welcome to leave when you're up to it, Mr. Malfoy. A lot of rest should do you some good," she said, moving to go organize some potion bottles. "If you're feeling unwell, come stop by and I can give you another Pepper Up."

Draco gave himself a sigh, allowing his friends to lead him back to the dormitories.

oooOooo

As Harry followed behind Ron and Hermione into the Great Hall for breakfast, he couldn't help but glance over to the Slytherin table. At once, he was able to spot platinum hair and looked at the Slytherin that was attached to that head of hair. Malfoy seemed sickly, paler than normal, which he didn't even know was possible, and definitely not acting like his usual self if his sullen and subdued behavior was any clue. Looking away, Harry took a seat beside Hermione, while Ron was making faces at his younger sister.

"Are you going to be like that every time I see you?" she asked in exasperation, rolling her eyes. "I swear… Ron, stop being so barmy."

"Says my sister," Ron sighed dramatically. "The one who's snogging a Slytherin."

He made another face of disgust, as if his own words triggered unwanted images to his head.

"If you won't be nice," she warned threateningly, "I won't share my chocolates with you."

She waved an ornately packaged box around, smirking as Ron's expression changed into one of interest.

"Chocolate?" he asked, eyeing it carefully.

"Yup," Ginny agreed, moving to open the box to reveal small wrapped chocolates, decorated in various reds, blues, and greens.

"I ate some earlier," Ginny said lightly, tossing a few wrapped chocolates to Harry and Hermione while Ron took a handful of his own.

"Ron!" she frowned, watching as a good portion of chocolate disappeared.

"Sorry," Ron replied, opening up a blue wrapper and tossing it into his mouth. Harry thought that Ron didn't sound sorry at all.

"These are delicious!" the red-headed boy exclaimed, turning to look at his friends. "Really, these are really good!"

Harry watched his friend in amusement before looking at the candy in his hand. Slowly unwrapping a green wrapper, he took a bite, enjoying the feeling of the chocolate melting in his mouth. Chocolate wasn't his favorite dessert, but these _were_ rather delicious.

"These are good," he agreed, looking up at Ginny.

Ginny beamed, nodding, "They are great, aren't they?"

The sound of someone clearing their throat made the conversation halt, and eyes moved over to the boy now standing near them.

"Hello," he smiled charmingly at the group. "Just wanted to come over to see my favorite Gryffindor."

Harry was silent, Ron started sputtering behind another chocolate, and Hermione rolled her eyes at her friends, pausing in unwrapping a chocolate to greet the newcomer.

"Hello Blaise," she replied cordially.

"Shouldn't you be over at your table with the ferret?" Ron growled, biting viciously into chocolate – Harry vaguely noted that Ron was now on his fourth piece – before shaking a hand at the Slytherin. "You're not welcomed here."

Harry sat back, carefully watching his friend interact with the Slytherin. He'd definitely step in if something were to happen, but based on Zabini's relaxed pose, Harry wasn't sure that he would even start anything.

"Draco's sick," Blaise replied easily, ignoring the insult that was leveled at his friend. "I didn't want to catch what he has."

Harry glanced back at the Slytherin in question, noticing that he seemed to have gotten sicker within the last few minutes. He was pale, propping his chin up in an arm that was braced against the table, and it seemed that he was just pushing his food around on his plate.

"He does look sick, doesn't he?" Harry whispered to Hermione, who was looking over at the Slytherin table as well.

She nodded in agreement, "He looks rather terrible. Maybe he should go to the Hospital Wing."

"He got released last night," Blaise cut into their conversation, looking curiously at Harry in particular. "Why I'm surprised Potter, I didn't know you cared. I bet Draco would love to hear that."

Harry scowled at Blaise, all thoughts about sick Slytherins replaced by irritation.

"I'm not a Slytherin," he replied, turning away from facing the Slytherin table. "I wouldn't find it funny if someone was sick, even if it was _Malfoy_."

Blaise raised his hands in mock defense.

"Hey now, Potter," he looked sideways to his redheaded girlfriend for help. "Didn't mean to put your knickers in a twist. I wasn't trying to irritate you."

He then held out his arm to Ginny, which she took as she stood up from her seat.

"I'll leave you Gryffindors alone, seems like I have overspent my welcome here," he grinned, bowing lowly to Ron. "And I will promise to take good care of your sister."

Ron's glower and move to get up from the table made Harry reach out to hold his friend down.

"Ron, stop!" Hermione hissed out at him, glaring. "Stop acting like that! Your sister is talking to Blaise, there's no reason for you to cause any trouble."

"Oh, so now he's _Blaise_, huh?" Ron rounded on his friend, frowning heavily. "Who's side are you on, Hermione? He's a Slytherin!"

Hermione leveled a glare at him, standing abruptly and collecting all of her things.

"I'm on nobody's side," she rebuffed, sweeping her hair out of her face. "Though I'm sure I'd much rather have a civilized conversation right now with him than you because you're acting like a petulant little child. Maybe when you grow up, I can be on your side!"

She threw Harry an apologetic look before she turned to leave the hall. Harry watched quietly as Ron turned around, looking at him in wide-eyed shock. Harry shrugged.

"Not sure what to tell you, mate," he admitted, watching as Ron turned back towards his plate, shoulders slumped. "Maybe you should finally tell her that you've had a crush on her for the past year. She might give you some slack."

Ron blanched, shoving one last piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"The day that makes her happy is the day I become a Ravenclaw," he joked, wiping his hands before standing up. "Let's go ahead and get to class, then…"

Harry laughed as he stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. While they made their way out of the hall, he couldn't help his instinctual urge to glance back at the Slytherin table, watching as the blond Slytherin he had been thinking about earlier sluggishly got up and collected his things.

oooOooo

"Draco, I think you should go back to see Madam Pomfrey," Pansy gave her friend a slightly concerned glance, wrinkling her nose when he coughed for the tenth time. "As much as I adore you, I do not find your sickness attractive in any way."

"Go sit somewhere else then," he said sourly, squinting down at his Arithmancy textbook, scribbling some notes on his parchment as he read. "I don't want to hear you complain about it every time I cough, it's already bad enough I have to deal with it in the first place."

He looked over at Pansy, noticing the miffed expression on her face. He gave a sigh, rubbing at his eyes again as he felt an inexplicable urge to apologize for snapping at her.

"I'm sorry, Pans," he offered softly, offering her a faint smile. "You're only trying to help."

Pansy stared at him in shock, looking at him as if he had grown another head. He shifted under her stare, until she finally reached a hand out to brush against his forehead.

"You're a little warm," she said after a moment, giving a relieved smile. "Which is probably why you just apologized to me. I was scared for a moment."

Draco's expression darkened and he turned away, a sneer forming on his lips.

"Oh now, don't get all pouty on me," Pansy laughed, looking up as students started packing their bags to leave the class. "I don't know what's worse to deal with, an irritated Draco or one throwing a little temper tantrum."

As they walked into the hall, she watched as a few students glanced their way, stares lingering on Draco as he ignored everything, expression still petulant. A few giggling witches, blushing and ducking away when they passed, made Draco's face darken even more.

"I suppose the rest of the student population would enjoy you being pouty," she mused, rolling her eyes. "Figures."

"If you want to be gawked at by little first years girls, then feel free to take their attention away from me," Draco said dryly, noticing some walk by. "The only time I don't have to worry about them is when Wonder Boy is walking around."

Draco raised an eyebrow as as a dark-haired figure turned the corner and walked towards their direction. Of course Potter would end up showing up if he ever mentioned his name. _Of course._

As Draco and Pansy walked closer to him, Draco felt his irritation grow. But as much as it grew, so did his ill feelings, leaving him slightly light-headed. He paused, reaching out to Pansy's arm, closing his eyes.

"Draco?"

"Hang on, Pansy…" Draco groaned, gripping her arm tighter as a wave of nausea rushed his senses. "Once second…"

He leaned over, slowly counting to ten to try to ignore the urge to vomit. Pansy's arm was removed from his grasp and he felt hands grip his arms to help him balance.

"Pansy, I'm ok…" he mumbled out, closing his eyes as he felt her slowly pull him into a standing position. "I just feel a little ill…"

"Draco…"

He paused, hearing Pansy's voice to the left of him, though he knew that there was someone standing in front of him to help him stand. He opened his eyes, jerking back when he saw a certain glasses-wearing Gryffindor holding onto him.

"Let go of me, Potter!"

He tried to pull back, but found Potter's hands tightening around his arms.

"Malfoy, chill out!"

Shocked gray eyes stared into slightly curious green eyes, covered by spectacles.

"Let go of me," Draco repeated after a few seconds of stunned silence. "What do you think you're doing?"

He tried to jerk himself away again, only to feel the grasp on him firm up even more.

"Trying to help you," Potter replied lightly, face still curiously blank, save for the brightness in his eyes. "You were about to tumble over and take Parkinson down with you."

Draco mustered up a glare, unable to do anything else.

"I don't see how that is any of your concern," he spat out, partly because he was forced to talk to Potter and partly because his nausea was creeping back up and curling around his senses. "Now let me go before I decide to get sick on you. It's bad enough I feel ill, looking at your ugly face is only making it worse."

Instead of the horrified expression that Draco expected on someone's face when they were being told someone was going to vomit on them, he found Potter's expression slowly transforming into one of amusement.

"Is this how you usually chase people away that are trying to help you, Malfoy?" he asked, an unruly eyebrow rising as a smirk played at his lips. "By threatening to get sick on them?"

Draco watched as Potter's hands slowly pulled away as he stood straight, smirk slowly disappearing into a faint smile.

"Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing," he pointed out, waving to Draco's face. "You're rather red… You might be coming down with a fever."

Without another word, he continued on his way down the corridor. Only when the other boy's footsteps disappear, did Draco turn and gave a faint glare to the only other person in his company.

"And what exactly were _you_ doing to help, Pansy?" he demanded, bristling at the realization that she just stood there and did absolutely nothing.

Pansy was standing there with her arms folded, eyes curiously analytical. She looked at Draco for a moment before glancing to where Potter was only minutes before. After a few seconds, her eyes cleared and she shrugged.

"It didn't look like I needed to do anything," she offered, moving towards the blond, nudging him to continue walking. "It's Potter, it's not like he'll ever _start_ anything with you. He's a Gryffindor. They only _react_."

"You could have at least hexed him when he was walking away…" Draco groused, sighing heavily. "And you call yourself my friend."

As they continued walking down the corridor, Pansy took another glance at the boy beside her. The flush on his cheeks hadn't left, though he was holding his head up and ignoring the fact that he wasn't his usual pale pristineness. She rarely saw her friend like this, but she could definitely tell the difference between Draco flushed with a fever and Draco blushing… The fact that he was blushing was curious enough, but something else was nagging at the back of her mind and she wanted to figure out what it was. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, knowing that she'll have to have a talk with Blaise later about their friend.

oooOooo

Harry continued walking down the corridor, still curious about Malfoy's predicament. He didn't know why, but he couldn't help but be interested with what was going on with the other boy. He furrowed his brow as he thought to himself. It wasn't out of the ordinary for him to be concerned with other students being ill… especially if he walked right into them needing help in the hallway. Anyone would do that. What was bothering him was the fact that it was Malfoy… and that a small part of Harry had enjoyed the fact that the other boy was so ill, he needed assistance from the one person he hated most at Hogwarts.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he reached the portrait entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. Maybe it was just because Malfoy was such a nuisance.

"Yeah…" Harry mused to himself right after giving the password to the Fat Lady. "He deserves it, whatever he's come down with. Anyone would feel the same way I do."

Feeling slightly better with the justification of his sudden fascination with the Slytherin, he walked into the Gryffindor common room. Spotting his friends by the fireplace, he made his way over.

"Hi Harry," Hermione glanced up for a moment, offering him a smile.

Harry received a grunt in greeting from Ron, who was staring intently at a chessboard. Harry quirked an eyebrow at him before glancing at Hermione.

"Blaise challenged him to a chess match," she provided in response, shaking her head. "He's been like this all day since classes ended."

"Strategy is very important Hermione," Ron said patiently as he moved a pawn across the chessboard. "I refuse to lose to a Slytherin, especially at this game!"

Harry stared at the redhead for a moment before shrugging, seating himself down in an armchair.

Glancing over at Hermione, he decided to broach the topic of his run-in from earlier.

"I ran into Malfoy and Parkinson on my way back to the common room," he said softly to Hermione, who in turn looked at him in surprise.

"You did?" she asked, taking a second to glance over at Ron to see his reaction.

When he didn't provide a response and continued with his study of the chessboard, she continued, "They didn't try to mess with you, did they?"

Harry shook his head, throwing her a grin.

"Opposite, really," he admitted. "I helped him out."

"Helped him?" Hermione put down her book, a look of disbelief on her face. "How so?"

"He's still sick, I think. When I was walking back to the common room, I ran into them and he looked like he was going to pass out, so I couldn't just leave Parkinson there to deal with him by herself. He looked like he was going to take her down with him too. That's all."

"He must be really sick," he continued, his grin growing, "because the only thing he did to me was tell me to leave him alone. No hexes or anything."

Hermione gave Harry a half-exasperated quirk of her lips, shaking her head.

"I don't see why you'd be so excited about that, Harry," she pointed out, watching as he shrugged. "Being happy that someone else is sick is terrible."

"I dunno either," he admitted, giving a laugh. "It's weird, probably because he finally had something coming to him. I'd never thought that he'd be someone who'd get taken down so easily by a cold."

Hermione rolled her eyes good-naturally before she went back to reading, leaving Harry to his own thoughts. He leaned back in his chair, knowing that he didn't have anything to worry about rushing to complete by the next day. Relaxing, he stared around the common room and let his mind wonder, though more often than not, he found himself thinking about a certain blond with a nasty temperament.

oooOooo

The next morning, Harry found himself in a very good mood. He had gotten plenty of rest, Ron wasn't bickering about something, and Hermione hadn't chastised them on the way down to breakfast. In fact, there was an air of absolute calmness around Harry that he felt couldn't be destroyed by anything. So when the owls came in for the usual delivery of mail and he found an elaborately wrapped box the size of his hand land delicately on his lap, all he did was place it on the table and open it with a faintly curious expression on his face. A loud popping noise came from the box as confetti exploded to the ceiling and balloons sprung forth, floating around to other students.

"Harry, what is that?" Hermione asked in surprised, eyes wide as she watched as more balloons emerged.

"I have no idea," Harry admitted, an amused expression on his face. "I don't even know who it's from."

"Fred and George," Ron replied quickly, holding up a similarly wrapped envelope in his hand that was addressed to "Our Little Ronnikins" in a flourish of shimmering blue ink.

Before Ron could say anything else, a chorus of singing "Thank you's" resounded through the Great Hall as Harry's box continued to dole out surprises. Once the thank you's faded away, the voices of two very familiar Weasleys rang out in the hall, and the abrupt silence everywhere else around them signified that the entire hall was now listening in.

"Thank you Harry!" Fred's voice boomed and Harry didn't have to glance around the hall to know that he had everyone's attention. "Because you volunteered to try out our newest creation, we thought it'd only be appropriate to shower you in our thanks!"

"Quite literally," George's voice cut in and Harry could imagine their expressions of glee exactly how it would have been if he concentrated hard enough. "But lucky you, Harry! You've been lucky enough to try out our newest Hogwarts-inspired candies!"

"Because we never finished our education there, you see," Fred continued. "We thought it would only be fair to pay homage to our alma mater! Our home away from home!"

"And what better way than through chocolate?" George piped up.

"Right so, brother," Fred agreed and Harry started to wonder if the twins had forgotten that they were being recorded and assumed that they were having a normal conversation.

"Chocolate?" Ron asked faintly and Harry took a quick look at Ron to see him frowning disapprovingly at his sister, who just looked over with an innocent expression.

"Harry, you might be wondering what _exactly_ these candies do," Fred suggested with a laugh. "Well, they actually unleash your inner-most house personalities without you feeling as though you couldn't share those feelings! So now you can show everyone your inner Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff…"

"Or Slytherin and Gryffindor!" George cut in. "But you're already a Gryffindor, so that doesn't count for you."

"You were even luckier and now you get to show off your inner…"

The twins trailed off as they made a dramatic drumroll with their hands.

"Slytherin! Won't that be fun?"

"Cheers, Harry! We'll follow up with you to see how you're holding up, but remember…"

"You're practically family, so don't be too upset!"

And with that, the booming voices disappeared and all the balloons popped to shower more confetti around the Great Hall. Soon, Harry found himself stared at by hundreds of curious eyes.

"Great," he said dryly as he turned to face his friends. "Just another reason to be called a freak."

"At least they seem like they really do worry if you'd be upset at them," Ron pointed out, sharing his newly opened letter to Hermione and Harry.

Inside his decorated card were a few simple words:

"Younger brother, don't forget that you can't kill us because mum would be sad. Have fun being a Ravenclaw! It'll do you some good to use your brain!"

"This is crazy," Hermione said softly as buzzing in the Great Hall resumed at a louder level than before, with several discussions being about Harry's new Slytherin status.

"And I know exactly who to blame," Ron glared at his sister, who was now watching them with interest. "How could you? Sneaking us experimental candy? They could've poisoned us!"

"They're your brothers!" Ginny signed explosively, standing up to point at the two boys. "And you deserved it! Always ragging on me about Blaise!"

She rolled her eyes as she continued, "You needed to grow a brain Ronald."

"And you!" she pointed accusingly at Harry. "I know you don't say much, but I can tell what type of things you've been thinking. For someone who can speak Parseltongue, you have no tolerance for Slytherins."

She nodded to herself as she swung her bag over her shoulder, "I think it'll do you both some good."

As she turned around to walk away, she paused.

"And don't worry Hermione," she added, almost as an afterthought. "Your chocolate didn't do anything to you."

And with that, she marched away.

"I don't know how I should feel right now," Harry admitted, glancing at his friends.

"Well…" Hermione started, a worrying glance sent Ron's way.

Ron sighed loudly as he settled back in his seat.

"It's not a big deal," he said dismissively, grabbing his fork to resume eating his forgotten breakfast. "You've always been a little bit Slytherin-ish Harry… It won't be that much different, I'm sure. And I've always had to be their test subject, what's new? I just blew up at Ginny so she'd know that she shouldn't have done something like that. That Zabini must be influencing her in a bad way."

Hermione and Harry stared at him in surprise and it took a few minutes of not receiving a response to cause Ron to look up at his friends.

"What?" he asked in exasperation. "I do have a brain, you know!"

"Yes, but…" Hermione and Harry shared a look of amusement. "That doesn't mean you always use it."

oooOooo

Draco's morning was not what he wanted it to be. Though he woke up without the urge to vomit and didn't need to go nick another Pepper Up potion, something definitely seemed off. He was just having a hard time placing it.

First, there was a weird sense of anxiety that was settling inside him that wouldn't go away. It was persistent and he tried to block it out like he always did with any unfavorable feelings, but he couldn't seem to ignore it. Second, he was starting to pay attention to things he could care less about. When he walked into the common room and saw two fifth years picking on a sensitive (he had no idea what that boy was doing in Slytherin) first year, Draco told them to sod off. And third… he actually took the time to help Crabbe and Goyle wrap up their Transfigurations homework. They were abysmal in that subject, so he shouldn't have even bothered. But they had asked and he felt compelled to help this one time.

What was going on?

He was even thinking about asking Pansy to feel his forehead to see if he seemed warmer than usual. Then, when all the commotion started during breakfast about Harry-bloody-Potter, Draco was sure that the day was only going to get worse. When he decided he had enough of sneering at his least favorite Gryffindors (he had to amend that – there were absolutely no Gryffindors he could tolerate), he found a plain manila envelope with his name written on the front staring back at him. The sheer plainness of the letter quickly told him that it was not from his family, but from the recent arguments he had with his father regarding arranged marriages, he'd only expect a very expensive Howler to be sent his way.

Picking up his wand, he discreetly casted a spell to see if any hexes were in the letter and when the envelope glowed a faint green showing it was safe to open, he reached out and opened it.

Inside laid a plain piece of parchment with a hand-written note.

"Dear Mr. Malfoy,

We at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes would like to extend our appreciation out to you for volunteering to test our new Hogwarts-themed candies. As such, we are pleased to announce that you can now feel free to unleash your inner Hufflepuff, as you have had the great opportunity to try out that flavor, so to speak. So please have fun and we will be reaching out to you at the conclusion of your testing.

Good day,

The proprietors of WWW"

As Draco continued to read in confusion – there was no way in hell that he would ever be a test subject, least of all for a couple of red-headed pureblood traitors – he noticed a smaller message at the bottom of the note:

"Also, please extend our thanks to Mr. Zabini, as his assistance in helping you consume the potion in your pumpkin juice unknowingly was an important step in having you volunteer. Cheers!"

Draco had a weird sensation go through him, his heart slowly starting to speed up as parts of him starting to numb. Blaise had poisoned him? With something from the Weasley twins? He closed his eyes as he tried to calm himself down. His anxiety was coming back and he was not going to show it. He was brought up better than that.

Letting out a low, slow breath, he opened his eyes, turning to face the traitor he had called a friend.

"Blaise."

At the sound of his name being called, Blaise looked away from the Gryffindor table, where balloons were bursting to shower confetti everywhere. At the sight of the pale blond and the letter clutched in his hand, Blaise quickly put two and two together.

"Draco, let me explain-" he started, only to be cut off by Draco abruptly standing.

Draco gave a sharp shake of his head, trying hard to find some strength to yell and hex his friend into nothingness.

"How could you?" he asked, knowing that everyone else's attention was elsewhere.

He crushed the letter in his hand and turned, quickly fleeing the hall. He couldn't be here, he needed to be somewhere else, anywhere he didn't have to worry with people seeing him deteriorate into a _Hufflepuff_.

oooOooo

Harry had noticed some things while everyone else around him was making a commotion. When Malfoy had gotten up and left the hall, he noticed that Parkinson and Zabini started getting into a heated argument. When they continued to argue and packed up to leave, Harry couldn't restrain his curiosity anymore. With a quick "I'll see you in class!" to his friends, he quickly made his way out of the hall, careful to make sure the Slytherins didn't see him trailing them. When he was about to round a corner, he jerked back, hearing raised voices on the other side.

Holding his breath, he peeked around the corner, satisfaction flowing through him when he saw that it was indeed the two people he had been trying to track. Quickly looking around to make sure the corridor he was in was empty, he looked back to the pair.

"How could you?" Pansy hissed angrily, stabbing a finger into Blaise's shoulder. "What kind of friend do you even think you are?"

Blaise winced as he received another forceful stab of Pansy's nail. He waved her off, rolling his eyes.

"A really wonderful friend," he suggested. "I had a very good reason to do it."

Pansy sneered and Harry wondered if she was going to physically attack the boy.

"By turning him into a _Hufflepuff_?!" Pansy's voice was so loud, neither of them heard Harry's gasp of surprise.

Malfoy was in the experiment too? Blaise shushed the girl, glancing around to see if any other students around. This only seemed to rile her up even more.

"I understand that for some unfathomable reason, you are dating that ginger Gryffindor… But trying to get her to spread her legs faster by offering up our friend as an experiment is not the way to do it," she sneered angrily.

Blaise made a face, clearly offended that Pansy would suggest such a thing.

"I did not do it so that it would give me an advantage with something like that," he retorted haughtily, which Harry was actually surprised to hear.

"I did it because something's been going on with Draco and," he waved off Pansy's attempt to interrupt, "you and I both know that he has been closing himself off from us since."

He looked at Pansy in a way that challenged her to disagree. When she only signed in exasperation and looked away, he continued, "And I thought this was the best way to do it. Really, Pansy! He has no other option but to open himself back up… For Merlin's sake, that's what Hufflepuffs do!"

As the pair continued to bicker, Harry turned away and leaned against the wall, his eyes wide at the amount of knowledge he had just gained. Malfoy was tricked by his own friend and was now going to act like a Hufflepuff? Harry knew that if it had been anybody else, he would've felt horror on their behalf. But because it was Malfoy…

Harry felt a grin slowly tug at his lips as he let his thoughts wonder. Watching Malfoy succumb to Hufflepuff temptations would be so funny. There was no way his day could get any better.

**Author's Notes:**

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Just look at that, Draco's already becoming a Hufflepuff. Can't wait to see what happens when Harry starts using his Slytheriness for… evil.

Reviews appreciated!


	3. Chapter 2 - Backed Into a Corner

**Disclaimer:**Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.  
**Author:**Totchi  
**Title:**Draco the Hufflepuff  
**Pairing:**HP/DM  
**Rating:**Mature  
**Summary:**Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes has a prototype that Fred and George think will be a big hit - candies based off of the four Hogwarts Houses that promise to "Unleash your inner Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff!". Now, if only they could find some test subjects…

**Author's Notes:** I am so sorry for the long wait! I have a terrible habit of putting together scenes and scenarios for my stories and typing them all up in Word… but then I never sit down and sew the scenes together so they make a proper chapter until so much time has past. I promise I'll begin updating better and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!

**Draco the Hufflepuff**

(aka When Harry Finally Embraces His Inner Slytherin)

Chapter 2 – Backed Into a Corner

Draco stared at his reflection in the mirror, eyes narrowing as he looked at his own face. The mirror purred out some praises, but he barely registered them as he leaned closer for a better look. He didn't _seem_ any different. He frowned, reaching up to poke at his cheek. Granted, he wasn't sure how changing into a Hufflepuff would affect his physical attributes. Just as he took a step back, the door to the dormitory opened and he caught sight of the person he least wanted to see.

"Came to offer me some more poison?" he asked with a frown, catching the other boy's eyes through the mirror. "At least this time, you don't have to go through the trouble of spiking my drinks."

"Draco," Blaise closed the door and took a few steps closer. "I had a good reason to do it. I wasn't trying to hurt you."

Anger suddenly boiled up inside Draco as he turned around, baring his teeth.

"Somehow, I don't see how there's any justification for ever force-feeding someone, whom I could've assumed was your _friend_, an experimental potion that would turn them into a sniveling, pathetic little mass of emotional idiocy," Draco hissed out, watching as Blaise's expression turned into one of guilt. If Draco weren't in the mood he was in, he would've found that extremely funny, as he was sure that Blaise didn't even know what guilt was.

"Draco…" Blaise took another step forward right before Draco cut him off.

"Was it because of the She-Weasel?" Draco continued, having to take a moment to pause, as he felt another emotion, something more painful than anger, slowly burn at his insides. "Because she wanted some sort of confirmation that you'd betray your own friends just for her?"

Blaise shook his head, the guilt on his face giving way to concern.

"No, Draco, of course I didn't do it for that," he replied softly, taking another step closer. "Draco, listen to me. I had a good reason."

"No you didn't!" Draco had to take a step back, surprised by how loud his own voice had become in the silent room. "There is no _good reason_ for you to betray me this way!"

"Draco…" Blaise sighed out, finally taking the remaining steps to close the gap between them. When Draco jerked back to put some more space between them, Blaise grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Draco," he repeated, staring straight into the other Slytherin's face. "I did it for a good reason."

Before Draco could interrupt him, he continued softly, "I know why you've been fighting with your father."

Draco lost the words that he had prepared as a scathing reply. Whatever Draco had anticipated the other to say, anything related to his father was the furthest from what he could've planned for.

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling it constrict and dry out.

"What does my father have to do with this?" he managed to force out, staring at Blaise briefly before averting his gaze. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Draco," Blaise's tone, though gentle, still held firmness in it that made Draco feel uncomfortable. "I know that you've been fighting because you didn't want to agree to an arranged marriage."

He moved so that he could stare directly at his friend's eyes before he continued, "And I know why you don't want to get married."

Draco felt something cold slowly move up his spine and couldn't turn his eyes away.

"What?" he asked faintly, feeling Blaise squeeze his arm reassuringly. "What are you talking about?"

Blaise took a step back, letting go of Draco's arm before letting out a sigh. Folding his arms over his chest, he glanced away to stare at the mirror that was next to them.

"Do you remember the last time the Seventh Years smuggled in some firewhiskey?" he asked, watching through the mirror as Draco moved to sit on the trunk at the base of his bed.

"Yeah," Draco ran a hand through his hair, mixed feelings running through him. He felt confused, but more than that, a part of him really did not want to know where Blaise was going with this conversation.

"Everyone got smashed, just like every other time someone smuggles in something," he shrugged his shoulders. "So?"

"You told me some things and I don't think you remember," Blaise moved over to sit beside his friend. "You told me the reason why you didn't want to get married."

Draco's entire world froze as he let the other's words sink in. He tried to remember the specifics of that night where he got drunk, but other than some laughing over the antics of drunken Slytherins and waking up the next day needing a hangover potion, he couldn't place any other details. Breathing in sharply, he placed his hands on his knees for support.

"What did I say?"

He heard Blaise clear his throat and after a minute of silence, Blaise replied.

"Because you weren't attracted to girls."

A strangled laugh left Draco's throat as he bowed his head, clenching the fabric of his trousers.

"So that's why you decided to let those red headed blood traitors give me poison?" he asked, shaking his head. Everything seemed like it was falling apart and all he could do was see how insane this situation was. "To laugh at me becoming a bloody little first year Hufflepuff? Tell everyone that Draco Malfoy was a shirt lifter?"

His sight was blurring and it was slowly becoming hard to breath through his nose. When he felt the dampness to his cheek, he couldn't help but laugh some more.

"This is hilarious," he gasped softly, leaning down to bury his face in his hands, shoulders shaking. "First, I find out that I told you I'm more likely to jump _Potter_ than Pansy, but now I really am a Hufflepuff. Crying, really?"

His last word ended choked as he found he couldn't continue talking. He felt a hand press against his back as thoughts blurred through his mind. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, and the only thing he could do was listen to his friend try to comfort him over the sound of his own sobs.

oooOooo

Harry paused in glancing at his Transfiguration notes to look at the curious stare he was receiving from across the table.

"Yes?" he asked with a smile. "You've been staring at me for the past few minutes, Hermione. I'm studying my notes like you told me."

His friend furrowed her brow, sitting back in her chair as her expression changed from just curiosity to something akin to how a botanist would stare at a newly discovered magical plant.

"You aren't suffering any odd side effects, are you?" she asked, her look giving way to something that Harry suspected was worry. "No pain or dizziness or anything like that, right?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at her concern, shaking his head a little when Hermione gave him an offended look.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I don't mean to laugh at you," he apologized quickly, noticing that the longer he chuckled, the more offended she looked. "No weird side effects, I promise. I barely feel any different, either."

Before Hermione could reply, Ron interjected from their side.

"You probably don't feel any different, but it'll be pretty easy for others to see if you're acting different," he pointed out, pausing in scribbling on his parchment to look up at his friend.

Harry frowned, turning to face his other friend.

"What do you mean?" he asked, shaking his head. "Ron, I think it'd be pretty obvious to me if I was acting less like myself."

Ron shook his head as a smile pulled at his lips. Placing his parchment down, he placed his hands on the table and leaned closer.

"Harry, tell me you're not somewhat annoyed at me right now," he took a moment to glance over at Hermione, who was watching Ron with the same curiosity she offered Harry earlier. "You look like you want to hex me."

Harry quickly opened his mouth to deny that he was irritated in any way, but after looking at both his friends' expressions, the annoyance he felt earlier slowly ebbed away.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair.

"This doesn't seem like it'll be as much fun as I thought it'd be," he admitted, wrinkling his nose.

Ron gave a laugh as Hermione shook her head, frowning at her friend.

"Why would you ever think it'd be fun?" she asked in surprise. "I would've been very upset if Ginny had given me something else. Who knows what it would do to you, and it'd start interrupting your studies…"

"Just something to past the time," Harry admitted, though he couldn't help but remember what he learned from overhearing some Slytherins in the corridor. "Plus, just another reason for everyone to stare."

Seeing that both his friends looked unconvinced, with Ron even muttering something about how it wasn't exactly fun to be tricked into becoming his brothers' test subject, he leaned close to his friends.

"I found out someone else was tricked into trying out the twins' new invention," he whispered softly, looking around to see if any other students in the library would pay attention to them.

Seeing nobody stare at them at the moment, he continued, "You can't believe who."

"Remember when Malfoy was really sick?" he asked softly, watching his friends' faces to see their reactions. "It was because Zabini tricked him into drinking the potion!"

Ron's eyes widened and Hermione had to cover her mouth to muffle the loud gasp that escaped her.

"You're kidding," Ron gave a soft whoop of laughter, shaking his head. "You must be kidding, Harry."

"No!" Harry laughed as well, grinning over at Ron. "I'm not joking, I heard Zabini argue with Parkinson in the corridor!"

"That's horrible," Hermione interrupted their laughing, giving them both a reprimanding look, though Harry couldn't tell if it was because they were laughing at Malfoy's expense or because they were starting to get looks from students who could hear their ruckus. "That isn't something that you should be laughing about."

"But it is!" Harry objected, throwing a smile her way. "And it doesn't just stop there… Just think about it, which House do you think he got stuck with?"

Ron's laughing halted for a second as he looked at Harry in disbelief.

"No way…" his shocked slowly turned into a Cheshire grin. "He definitely hasn't been acting like a Gryffindor…"

Harry nodded, liking how easily Ron caught onto his train of thought.

"And you've got stuck with Ravenclaw and I'm stuck with acting like a Slytherin…" Harry continued. "So obviously, only one House is left."

"You can't be serious," Hermione said flatly, folding her arms over her chest. "Malfoy is going to act like a Hufflepuff? That's just _awful_, you two. I can't believe you think this is so funny!"

"Why not, Hermione?" Ron asked, nudging her with his elbow. "He's such a prat, I have no problem laughing at his expense. He deserves it."

Harry nodded in agreement, "You can't deny that he isn't a jerk, Hermione. Now maybe he won't act so terrible, at least until it wears off."

"Just because he acts like a horrible little boy who's been spoiled rotten, doesn't mean he deserves to be poisoned against his will," Hermione sniffed, shaking her head. "I dislike him as much as you both, but that's just a terrible thing to do. I can't believe Blaise would do that to him. I wonder why… Ginny would never just ask him to do that for fun, would she?"

"She probably did," Ron snorted, glancing back down at his study materials. "I wouldn't be surprised. She tricked us, didn't she?"

Harry opened his mouth to voice his agreement, but as he glanced to the front of the library, he found just the person he had been thinking about lately.

"Speak of the devil…" he muttered, nodding his head toward the door to the library.

He sat back in his seat, folding his arms over his chest as he watched as a certain Slytherin walked into the room. Harry found himself unfolding his arms so that he could prop his elbows up onto the table and lean forward to study the Slytherin more intently. He took a moment to pause and glance at his friends, making sure that they weren't paying close attention to him. Just as he thought, they had glanced over at Malfoy as well when he walked in, but soon went back to their own studies. Comfortable to go back to his study of the other boy, he glanced back over at Malfoy to find that he had made his way over to a bookshelf and was currently in the process of pulling some books down.

Harry's eyes narrowed as he studied the other boy closer, noticing that there wasn't really that much different, even though Malfoy was apparently becoming a Hufflepuff. He frowned, tilting his head to the side as he continued to watch the Slytherin. He had thought that the other boy would show some sort of signs of being less of a Slytherin… And then he noticed the slump to the other boy's shoulders and the way that he hung his head, as if trying to hide his face behind his own hair. Harry watched as Malfoy finished gathering the books he needed and turned around to move towards a desk. Right before he pulled a chair out, the Slytherin paused his movements and glanced up, staring directly at Harry. Harry's hands tensed as he was caught staring, but found himself quickly interested again as Malfoy's eyes widened and he jerked back, shoving the chair back under his desk before turning away and quickly leaving the library.

Harry sat back in his seat for a second, feeling something close to adrenaline flowing through his body. Malfoy just caught Harry watching him, and instead of glaring at him or insulting him, he seemed surprised and ran away. Harry tried to keep his lips from moving into a grin, but failed and had to duck to hide it from others around him. Once he was able to finally put it away, he cleared his throat and started packing up his belongings.

"I think I'm done with studying today," he told his friends as he stood up. "I'll see you guys in the common room."

Without waiting for their replies, he left the library in search of the boy who just ran away from him.

oooOooo

Draco shook his head as he made his way out of the library, his hands clenching around the books he took along with him. All he wanted to do was have some peace and quiet after everything that had been happening to him, and what happens? Scar Face ends up staring at him in the library. Draco knew that nobody should know that he had the unfortunate luck of turning into a Hufflepuff, but of course he didn't think about the fact that _somehow_ Blaise had gotten that potion and that _somehow_ happened to be a family of poor redheaded wizard rejects who also happen to be best friends with his least favorite person.

Draco paused in his stride and gave a loud, audible sigh as he took a moment to close his eyes. There was no point in him panicking, especially when he wasn't even sure if he wasn't just overreacting due to the potion running through his system. Still feeling some unease, he kept his eyes closed and counted to ten to calm himself. Right when he got to seven, he heard someone clear their throat behind him and his quick reflexes had him turning around and glaring at the person who snuck up behind him. Unfortunately, it was the last person he wanted to see.

Harry had cleared his throat to startle the Slytherin, who he had found standing in the middle of an empty hallway by himself, with his eyes closed as if trying to keep the ground from swallowing him whole. Seeing the other boy try to glare at him, but failing miserably as it was not up to the regular standards, Harry couldn't help but smile faintly.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco shifted uneasily, his discomfort visible to the only other occupant in the corridor. Harry found it mildly endearing to see the other boy's emotions so easily. He also found it rather interesting that he wanted to see more of Draco's emotions play across his face.

"Potter?" Draco prompted again when he didn't receive a response. Despite his best efforts not to, he took a small step back, apprehension showing clear as day in his eyes. He couldn't risk running into someone else that would elicit some strange, emotional response to his new overly emotional self, least of all the Boy Wonder. And what was with him, anyways? He knew the prat was half-blind but maybe he was half-deaf as well.

"You're so easy to read," Harry finally spoke, eyes alight with mischief. "I'm surprised, I was sure that you didn't even have any emotions, Malfoy."

A small pang of hurt went through Draco, which to his own frustration flittered across his face, if the amusement in Potter's eyes was any indication. Just because he was able to keep control of, well_ before _this incident, his emotions didn't mean he didn't have any. He wasn't a monster. He opened his mouth to say so, but closed it abruptly when he noticed the wicked smile that the other boy had on his lips.

"It's like reading a picture book," Harry's voice was smooth and low as he took a step towards the blond. "Every little thought shows up on your face. It's rather fascinating."

His eyes narrowed as he took another step forward, only to have to take a few more to counter the unsteady steps Malfoy was taking to keep the distance between them unchanged. Despite having altercations with Malfoy before, this time it felt different. He actually _wanted_ to pursue him, make the other boy uncomfortable and want to see him trapped. Was this feeling what Malfoy felt every time he messed with Harry? Was this something that all Slytherins felt? He was pulled from his musing when Malfoy stumbled, one foot having caught an uneven spot on the ground. Harry watched in bemusement as the other boy's hand flew out to catch himself against the wall, the books held in his arm falling to the floor. Harry quickly caught up to the other boy when he was distracted, stepping into his personal space and maneuvering so that Malfoy was between him and the wall.

"You seem so skittish," he chuckled, eyes locked with grey. "Tell me Malfoy, have you always been clumsy and just hid it well? You're playing the role of a Hufflepuff perfectly."

He leaned in so close, he was sure that Malfoy could feel his breath when he continued, "No wonder they were always your first target when you wanted to make fun of someone. Was it just an act so that people wouldn't realize that you were sorted in the wrong house?"

"Shut up, Potter," came the weak reply from Draco, horrible warmth spreading across his face. He needed to get out of here and away from this Slytherin-Potter. He was feeling rather sick and panic was starting to settle in his stomach. He knew that the scarred boy before him had the upper hand and even though he couldn't control these stupid emotional reactions that bubbled out from him, he wasn't going to let people walk all over him. He was Draco Malfoy, and this was only Potter!

Harry watched as a blush stole across Malfoy's face with interest. There was a strong sense of power that surged through him at the idea that he was able to cause such a reaction from the other boy.

"You're blushing, Malfoy," Harry pointed out, causing the fair-skinned boy to redden even more. "If only there were other students here in the hallway to see, I'm sure you'd be mortified."

The possibility of other students finding Draco this way, red-faced from embarrassment with none other than Harry Potter backing him into a wall, snapped Draco out of his panic-induced paralysis. He jerked back, nearly bashing his head into the wall as he reached up and shoved the dark-haired boy away, watching as Harry stumbled backwards and away from him. A small part of him was satisfied that even though he had been temporarily turned into an emotional nitwit, he still retained his physical strength. Glad that he could hold onto something semi-normal, he glared at Harry, standing up and straightening his robes.

"Sod off, Potter," he sneered, quickly moving away from the Gryffindor. "And leave me the hell alone. Stop pretending to act like a Slytherin, especially when you're trying to mess with one."

With that, he turned and quickly made his way down the corridor without looking back to the boy left standing there alone. Normally, Harry would've felt angry that the Slytherin abruptly cut everything off and left because he wanted to run away, but now that Harry could think in a different way – in fact he felt as though everything was clearer! – he had noticed a few things. First, Malfoy's face had been as red as a tomato, second, he was practically sprinting away when he left, and third… Harry glanced down at the books left on the floor, a slow smile pulling on his lips. It seemed Malfoy completely forgot that he had dropped his schoolbooks. As Harry stared down at them, another sneaky thought travelled through his mind. It seemed that Harry just found a reason to confront the blond on another occasion.


End file.
